Beginning surfer with surfboard selection question.

[Irish]

Hello all,

I am going to start surfing. Not thinking about it anymore I am going to start. The thinking has been going on for 10 years. I want to state some things here before I ask any question so you will have all my info.

I am not in the best shape these days but not terrible either. I am however very strong in the water (9 years as a rescue swimmer in the Coast Guard) in all conditions. 33 years old, 6'0", 255 lbs at the moment but going to trim down and get this going. A serious injury which took a few years to come back from put the weight on but now I am ready to get back in the water. I have always wanted to surf.

I have a good deal of experience in related sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding from my youth. I was a sponsored semi-pro snowboarder as a teenager. I am hoping that the muscle memory will help a bit with balance but not sure.

Anyhow here is where I start and I want to start the right way. I have no delusions of ripping around on a shortboard anytime soon or doing tricks. I just want to ride. I have been looking at several boards and here is what I have come up with on my own after talking to a few people and researching online.

9'-10' longboard, 23"-24"wide, with a thickness of 3"-4". This seems to be the best choice for me to learn on but I have a couple questions.

I am hoping to find a board that I will not grow out of in the first couple years. I don't plan on using a tiny pro board but I am not sure I always want to ride a traditional longboard. I see all of these hybrid boards and "funboards" as well as progressive longboards.

An old friend who lives on the east coast and surfs told me that I should try a 8'6" Rusty Desert. I took a look at one and it appears to be a large board similarly shaped to the small performance boards. Firstly would this board possibly float me? And is this a board I could learn on or should I just stick wtih the longboard? Also are there any other non traditional boards out there I should be looking at.

Any advice is much appreciated.

[Hang11]

Go for the longboard. Until you've actually learned to surf, it's going to be pretty difficult to decide what you want to ride, but........having a longboard in your quiver will always be worth it, there's always fun small cruisey summer days that a longboard is perfect for. The sort of specs you mention will be fine for you. I'd avoid anything too progressive or extreme in any way, just go for a good solid all round board. You'll never grow out of it, a good board is a good board at the end of the day, and most of it is about the person riding the board, not the board itself.

Once you get the hang of surfing, then experiment with a few different boards.

Good luck. Sounds cliched, but it really will change your life.

[justloafing]

Hang11 has it right IMO. I would go with a 10' with your size and weight. I know your going to drop the weight but a 9 - 10 foot board as Hang11 says you will always keep for those lazy days if you end up going to shorter boards. You may want to rent a board or two first or even go for a lesson. About buying a board I would talk to a local surf shop and get a quality board. Tell them your going to want to keep the board for a long time. That should clue them into what your looking for and not a cheap popout. Good luck have fun and be ready to be stoked beyond belief.

[Old Guys Rule]

Hang 11 is right on target IMO. It will be easier for you to learn. You will find as you start to surf that you will want more then one board. If you deside you want a smaller board later you will not regret having a long board in the quiver.

[Irish]

Thank you all for your responses. I know this question gets asked all the time and I did search the forums but never really found exactly my situation.

I am going to take your advice and go with the longboard for sure. It would be nice to have something to start to learn on now at my current weight rather than waiting as well. And as the summer gets smaller up here in northern cal it will be good to have something to ride for the years to come.

I did do the rental board thing in Maui the last two summers for a day each. That is what tripped the switch. It was a generic foam board the first time which I had a heck of a time with and a Surftech Softtops board this year which was much better. I was able to get up by the end of both days but the softop board was much easier to use overall. The board was around 9 ft whereas the generic foam one was about 8 ft. The Softop got me really stoked to start but I had to convince my wife over the last few months that I was going to really give the sport a shot in order for her to be cool with me spending the $ on the board and wetsuit. But nothing is stopping me now.

I'm going to look at what local shops I have in my area and head down this next weekend to see what is around.

Be well and thank you.

-Irish

[justloafing]

Hey hey hey, I hope your not leaving and not coming back......... We need to know what your getting or bought and we like pics too.

[Irish]

Hey hey hey, I hope your not leaving and not coming back......... We need to know what your getting or bought and we like pics too.

Nah not at all. I guess that did sound a bit final didn't it. I am happy to have actually found an active surfing forum. The others I found were either dead or slanted towards more performance oriented surfing. The Irishman will stay as long as he is welcome. Harder said than done.

-Irish

[Irish]

I went down to San Francisco and talked to a few people at a few shops. The general consensus I got from them was the same as what you all have suggested. Even going as far to say that if I was starting out 50 lbs lighter I should still not go smaller than 9 ft no matter what I wanted to ultimately ride. I can see myself after allot of examination wanting to ride a shortboard and a longboard depending on conditions so I am excited to have a plan!

So now do I buy a nice shaped board or a popout to start? That is where I am now. The financials of it aside I am leaning for a nice board so that I can learn on it and continue to develop with it. I am just a little worried about damage. The guys at the shops had differing views on this subject. Some said that starting on a cheaper popout or soft-top would be the ticket. Others said that if you want to ride a board well that you need a board that was shaped well not a machine copy. I have decided that I will not be getting a soft-top.

I have been looking at a Takayama 10'2" Noserider.

MID: 23.25" 59.06 cm
THICK: 3.13" 7.95 cm
VOLUME: 84 liters
FINS: 2+1 FCS

And a Takayama 9'2" Richards Model

MID: 23.00" 58.42 cm
THICK: 2.88" 7.32 cm
VOLUME: 69 liters
FINS: FCS

Takayama was recommended to me more than once when I asked about a good longboard shaper. As far as a basic cheap board I do not know at all. I see Blue boards, and Becker ect..... Any thoughts?

[Hang11]

Takayama boards are really nice. Either would be good, but the noserider would probably be a more traditional shape? Could make it a bit harder to cover all the basics, as it would be focussed towards one particular style of riding.

IMO, forget about a popout or anything like that. Go for a quality board, and learn to ride it. Changing boards when you're learning makes it harder to do. Surfboards, to a point, aren't like snowboards, which are stuffed full of tech and specced towards certain levels of rider. A good board is just that, and you won't outgrow it as your ability improves.

Don't worry too much about damage. Keep it in a bag, if you're riding rocky spots, it might be worth putting a nose guard on it. Holes and minor dings are easy to fix. Snaps don't happen that often, just don't worry about it. If you do snap it, buy another. FWIW in 20 years of riding a longboard, I've snapped 2 of them, both times in overhead, heavy surf - not the sort of thing you'll be learning in.

[RJD]

Your size and weight i'd be tempted with the 10fter but the 9'2" will be ok too.

Richards model : "This is Donalds and LJ Richards collaberation on a more versitile noseriding board. The diamond tail with a 2+1 fin setup allows this board to pivot more from the tail. The boards outline is very similar to the DT-2. The difference is that this board is a more stable at the nose and is easier to turn."

Probably easier to catch waves for you on a square tail board. I wouldnt look at anything smaller/less volume than the richards. sounds like an OK board but the rocker & rails are as important as the dimensions, as a learner you want easy going nothing to extreem - big or flat rocker will kill you etc.

[RJD]

Is this the noserider?

http://www.hawaiiansouthshore.com/shop/ ... t=0&page=1

Wow I'd be a sucker for that absolute classic board you'd keep for ever.

[Irish]

Is this the noserider?

http://www.hawaiiansouthshore.com/shop/ ... t=0&page=1

Wow I'd be a sucker for that absolute classic board you'd keep for ever.

That is it although I hadn't seen it in that finish. WOW that is beautiful.

It seems to be a versatile board as well.

I'm about to pull the trigger one of these I think.

-Irish